No Easy Trip
by AisleeKurokocci
Summary: After hearing many stories of the ultimate Trainer Red. Ripley hopes to obtain that status. After gaining a pokemon she can finally realize her dream. But with difficulty. What she wasn't aware that word does travel fast, resulting in reaching the ears of a certain trainer. He trains his pokemon more vigorously than before. Finally a challenge. OCxRed Hint!OCxEthan
1. 00: Chores are Boring

**Authors note:**

**_Now, I know my loyal followers have been waiting patiently for an update on my 'Magi' story. And I thank you all SO SO SO much for your support. However, I have been so busy with work that I haven't had any time to think of any elaborate plan as to what will happen with Kokoa, and of course, the new face, Nanami. I'm at bit of a loss and suffering writer's block. _**

**_I've been spending some of my time playing Pokemon Soul Silver for the umteenth time. Hoping, that I would become enlightened with new ideas. But I've gotten none. Instead, I've developed a new vision of a new series. This is a slight drabble, so I hope the chapters are easier to update and it will be on-going, and importantly that you all take enjoyment in reading!_**

_**I have also developed a **_**slight****_ obsession with reading ReaderXRed recently. And I was inspired to come up with an OCxRed fiction of my own. Can you blame me? The character design gives him no justice on what he SHOULD look like. It's just my opinion. I'm sure other female fans share the same feelings. :) _**

**_I hope you enjoy this new series. Happy reading!_**

**_P.S.: I own nothing here! Ripley is mine._**

**_P.S.S.: Also, there is some OCxEthan here. Probably a little more than the latter until the story progresses._**

* * *

Ripley blinked, rapidly. She was staring at the small pokemon that stood before her.

It was a mistake. This was all a mistake.

She and her two friends since childhood, Ethan and Lyra, had been called into the town laboratory for a special task. Why it had to take three of them. Was beyond any of their knowledge. But, the Professor had mentioned, that it would be too dangerous to just venture alone. So, he was generous enough to allow each of them to borrow a pokemon of his. He left the choice of the three pokeballs that were before them on the trio.

Lyra felt she had no need for another pokemon for a while. She's be just fine with her Marill. Ethan and Ripley, however, had fires of passion blazing in their eyes as they gaze at the spheres that lay comfortably on the pedestal.

Ethan had picked a Totodile, much to Ripley's disappointment. That was her first choice! Oh well, a Cyndaquil was her second, and would serve just as well as a companion.

...

That's how it was supposed to be.

Now was the worst time that Lyra's Marill decided for a game of Hide n' Seek. The little blue mouse tugged at her trainer's pant leg of her overalls with an eager cry.

"Marill? No. This is no time for playing!," she said gently, ushering her pokemon off of her. Ethan was the next. He shrugged her off. Now it was Ripley's turn. With agitation, she nudged the girls leg with enough force in her tiny body to make her stumble right into the pedestal.

With a slight flail of her arms, Ripley managed to steady herself.

But with a price.

The three teens had watched in horror as one of the pokeballs fell to the floor after Ripley's elbow had made contact with it, bursting open in an instant as it hit the tile floor. There was a flash of red light, then a shape of a pokemon appeared. Which lead to the current situation the rookie trainer is in at this moment.

She kept blinking. This wasn't real.

The little green creature yawned, and shook itself a little with a small squeak. It opened it's eyes slowly, allowing them to adjust to the lighting before it's gaze fell on Ripley.

It's expression was almost as dumbfounded as her's. Red orbs stared into grey ones. Then within a moment or two, the pokemon smiled, and bounded over the the girl as if it had found it's mother. It happily rubbed itself against her leg with a cry of it's name.

"Chikorita?," she questioned.

Lyra had squealed in delight, Ethan had to plug his ears.

"It's so cute!"

"Yeah, want it?," Ripley replied, dejectedly.

Professor Elm had rubbed at his chin in thought. "It seems this pokemon has taken quite a shine to you."

Thank you for stating the obvious. We can always count on you.

Ripley had stared at the Chikorita for a long while as it proceeded to make itself comfortable around her. She had the urge to pick it up. And she did just that.

She held Chikorita out in arms length, just gazing at it for a long while. The pokemon reciprocated with a look of it's own, then let out a happy cry. Ripley ushered a smile, finally.

Well.. She had to admit. It was pretty 'effing adorable. Suppose this wouldn't be so bad.

Elm had smiled, then checked the time. He grew a little anxious. Frantically waving for the trio to pay attention to the matter at hand, now flustered.

"Oh! You three had better get going!"


	2. 01: A Little Fun?

"So... We head to the West to Cherrygrove, then head North on Route 30 to...," Ripley repeated Elm's instructions out loud, her voice trailing off as her memory drew a blank.

"Mr. Pokemon's house," Lyra chimed in. Ripley beamed at her in a silent thank you, she winked and grinned in reply.

But really, this was repetitive and boring. Why were they sent out to run the Professor's errands instead?

Ethan was restless. His Totodile watched him with amusement.

"What are we standing here for? Let's get going! I'm itchin' to train my Totodile!"

Lyra giggled, while Ripley sighed.

"Calm the heck down, Ethan. I swear you're gunna bust a blood vessel in your head or somethin'. We don't need you having a sudden aneurysm."

Ethan had obeyed, a slight pink dusting his cheeks in embarrassment. The other girl snickered, giving her friend a high-five. The boy pouted, "Hey, you two aren't being fair. I've never had a pokemon until now. You can share at least a little of my enthusiasm, y'know."

He had a point there.

Ripley still had Chikorita in her arms, which he (discovering earlier that he was a male before they had left) happily nestled in against her chest. Lyra smiled, "Geeze, looks like Chikorita has grown on you a lot already, despite the fact he wasn't your first choice."

The pink-haired girl looked at her, modest. "What ever gave you that idea?," she questioned, innocently.

Lyra nodded her head toward Chikorita.

"Well, you haven't put him down even once since we left the lab," she pointed out.

Ripley puffed her cheeks out a little, blushing. She took a minute to savor the closeness of her new pokemon, then gingerly placed him on the ground. Chikorita started to nibble at the dirt.

Ethan rocked back and forth on his heels, antsy. "So...," he began. His eyes shifted off to the tall grass that made up most of Route 29. Ripley's gaze focused on him and laughed lightly.

"Okay, what do you want?"

"Well, I was thinking...," he muttered, making a line in the gravel with the toe of his sneaker. Ripley raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we can have some sort of race?"

Really, almost nineteen and he still acted like he was ten. It was kind of cute in a way.

"That sounds like a great idea!," Lyra replied enthusiastically, which made Ripley jump. "Let's test our pokemon's abilities, and see who gets there first!"

Ripley barely had anytime to think about it, when Ethan fist-pumped the air with vigor;

"Hell yeah! Let's get going! Totodile and I are totally gunna kick ass!" The water pokemon cackled and danced happily in agreement.

"Nuh-uh! Not if Marill and I get there first! It's all about stealth! You're too reckless and loud, wild pokemon would be drawn to you with every step. We got this in the bag!," Lyra said confidently. Ripley looked between the duo. She could have sworn she'd seen sparks of competitive intensity fly when the two made eye contact. Totodile and Marill were both pumped just as much as their trainers were.

"That's what you think! I can be stealthy as Hell! I'm like a ninja!"

"Oh yeah right!"

"Bring it!"

They disappeared like a blur into the tall grass, leaving Ripley and Chikorita on their own. She blinked stupidly. How in the world..? They didn't even know exactly where they were going yet!

She looked to Chikorita, who turned his head upward to stare back, confused.

"Well, we might as well get going too, right? Cherrygrove first it is then."

The pokemon hopped and let out a cheery cry.


	3. 02: Medic!

"Hold still, Chikorita. I know it stings but you won't hold out in this condition at this rate," she reassured the rather hurt pokemon. On the short path to Cherrygrove there have been many wild encounters the pair had made. Mostly in Sentrets and Pidgey. It wasn't the best option to go against bird pokemon, with Ripley's being grass type. However, Chikorita held his own and proved himself to be strong in his own way. It amazed her how much power can be packed into something so small.

He even learned Razor Leaf!

She held the small medicine spray to the pokemon's wounds, "And... There! All better!"

She'd have to thank the Professor's assistant for the handful of potions he generously offered to her.

Chikorita had let out a chirp, nuzzling his cheek to her own affectionately. Ripley grinned, tossing the empty potion bottle in her bag, until she can find a proper place to dispose of it. She had stood, previously kneeling to tend to her weakened companion. The duo were almost to the next town. Hopefully there won't be anymore wild pokemon for a while if they kept quiet enough. Chikorita was healed of what damage that had been caused by the number of Pidgey, but the poor thing was still too tuckered out to make another move to counter attack. What they had would just have to do.

Just to be sure, she picked the creature up as it let out a surprised squeak. Chikorita had squirmed in reluctance, wanting to be let down and be able to fight if necessary.

"I know, I know," she sighed, holding him closer. The pokemon whined. "But, I can't risk another attack and you get hurt even worse. You're past your limits on what move set you have. So if anything should happen, they'll strike me instead."

Chikorita was saddened by this. Ripley would have to ignore it, venturing farther down the road. She had never been past her little neighborhood of New Bark. Hell, she really hasn't been anywhere else since moving to the Johto region. Ripley had been homesick so much, she had lost the will to take any adventure out into the actual open. So, being this far from home was actually a little refreshing. It was still slightly scary. Though, she was pretty confident she was heading the right direction. Right now, any hope she had was that Cherrygrove had a damned Poke Center.

At the ege of Cherrygrove city, and elderly man had returned home after a leisurely afternoon of fishing. He carried a pale of Magikarp with him with a hum. Obviously feeling triumphant of his catch. He and the wife would be eating like kings for days.

As he got closer to the portch of his home, he heard the rustling of the tall grass that bordered the small city and Route 29. He peeked curiously towards the direction of the noise. Then, setting the pale down at his front door, before wandering closer to investigate the odd sounds.

It came as a surprise to him as a young girl had finally emerged, embracing a tired and hurt pokemon to her chest protectively. She had also sported a few scrapes and bruises. There must have been quite a few wild Pidgey out and about today.

He had quickly rushed to her side, and held his hands up in defense. It was obvious that his sudden presence had startled her, so she was at the ready to defend herself and her precious pokemon.

"Easy there, Lass," he said to her, she slowly lowered her guard.

"I am but an old man. You and your pokemon are injured. Let me guide to a Poke Center as a peace offering to patch it up."

Ripley had perked at the mention of 'Poke Center'. She gazed at him, about ready to cry in relief.

The man had lead her to a Center that had conveniently been built at the center of Cherrygrove, what made the situation better was that there was a Mart right next door.

Ripley had returned her Chikortia to his pokeball, then handed it to the welcoming and concerned Nurse Joy who placed the ball upon a machine, then pressing a button to activate it.

"It will take a few minutes, you are welcome to sit anywhere you like and relax while you wait," she spoke gently. Happily, the pink-haired girl nodded and plopped herself at the nearest table. The old man had remained standing, but moved the Ripley's side, placing a hand firmly on her shoulder.

"Your pokemon will be good as new," he reassured, her eyes never leaving sight of her Chikorita's pokeball.

"I hope so," she replied in a mumble.

Of course she knew he would. It wasn't the first time she had been in the Pokemon Center. After about five minutes, she will be given back her pokemon, and he will be just as lively as ever. But, it didn't make her any less worried. She was trusted with Chikorita, and she could only imagine the overwhelming guilt she would feel of letting Elm down.

She wondered how Lyra and Ethan were doing. It hadn't been that long that they've set out to run this errand. They probably got lost, was the most possible outcome.

Nurse Joy had called her name. Automatically she stood and retrieved her pokemon from the woman, bowing her head a little in appreciation.

She turned to the elderly man, mustering a small smile.

"Thanks."


	4. 03: Guides are Awesome!

Ripley happily took a sip of hot tea with her free hand, while her other arm was being mended by the old Gent's kind wife. She laughed a little, watching Chikorita play with their pet Snubble in a game of tag.

"There. You two should be fighting fit!," the woman said. The girl grinned, "Thank you very much!"

She nodded, then stood, wiping her hands on her apron before heading to the kitchen to tend to the Magikarp her husband had graciously caught.

The Gent had sat himself at the chair across the table from Ripley with a groan. "These old bones aren't just what they used to be anymore," he grumbled. Situating himself more comfortably, his gaze fell on the teen. She glanced back, offering a smile.

"This is a cozy place you have," she mentioned; "You didn't really have to bring me here, though. I think the one who needed medical attention the most was Chikorita. And he's fine now." Ripley laughed as said pokemon shot her a stubborn look.

"No, no. We're always happy to help out someone in need. Especially when they are a rookie trainer, like yourself."

Her expression fell a little toward the word 'rookie'. The Gent tensed.

"Don't be offended! Everyone is a rookie at some point! I'm sure you're a fine trainer. Look, Chikorita appears to be really attached to you," he defended.

She smiled a little, "Thanks."

He cleared his throat awkwardly, changing the subject completely, "So, what has brought you here to our Cherrygrove City? Surely it wasn't just about site-seeing if you have a pokemon with you to fend of wild Pidgey and Sentret."

Ripley shook her head, "No, my two friends and I are running an errand for our town's professor. Apparently there was something that needed to be delivered to him from a character that goes by 'Mr. Pokemon'. It must have been important, since he was almost in hysterics after receiving an e-mail. He doesn't even know what this 'package' is. I swear, he acts more like a nagging and worried wife."

"I know how that is, little Missy," the old man had teased, winking, and glancing back into the kitchen, where his wife had made a gesture with her two fingers, pointing to her own eyes, then to him, in a silent 'Watch it'. He laughed.

The girl snickered, then stopped as the older woman gave her a look as well. She coughed.

"So, you were set out to see Mr. Pokemon," the Gent had began; "It is said he knows everything there is about pokemon. He comes across quite some rare finds. This must be a big deal if Elm had sent the three of you."

She gave a shrug.

"So you come from New Bark Town? You seemed like you were at a bit of a panic. Are you new to this region?"

Ripley chewed at the inside of her cheek.

"Well, no," she said sheepishly; "I moved here when I was eleven. I never really had the drive to go out of the borders of my little town, where I felt was safe."

He nodded in understanding, "It must be hard, having to adjust to something completely new after being in a place you were born and raised for so long."

"Tell me about it..."

"You look like you know what you are doing. You made it here alright with no troubles other than the wild pokemon. I can't really say that about your two friends that just happened to race by only a half hour ago. Stopping by only for a moment to heal their own pokemon and left just as fast as they came. They are a lively pair."

She rolled her eyes to the ceiling, then laughed. "Sounds about right," she replied.

"Have you three been friends long?"

"We've known each other way back when we were kids. They were the first friends I had actually made when I moved here. Been inseparable ever since. "

"Well, that's nice. You need a person or two to help you along with any situation. I'm glad you have found two people that you put all of your trust and love into. We need more of that in this world," the Gent nodded, knowingly.

Ripley was lost in thought for a moment. "Yeah...," she sighed out, then stood.

"You are leaving already?," the wife had asked, a little surprised.

She stretched out, "Yeah, I gotta make sure Ethan and Lyra haven't gotten lost and killed each other yet. Also, I need to bring that package to Elm ASAP."

She called to Chikorita, who faithfully bounded to her side, nudging his nose lovingly to her leg.

As Ripley turned to leave, she halted at the hand to her shoulder. She turned to look over, quizzically.

"I almost forgot. You have the PokeGear, right? At least let me update it with the map of Johto. Maybe it'll serve a little easier than having to depend on road signs. You may have to travel for miles to approach the next one, and there can be forks in the road. Also, it's there is you ever need to find your way back here. Our home is always open to you."

She blinked, reaching into one of her bag pockets and handed the little notebook device to the Gent. With a few press of the buttons, the map was automatically registered. A smile curved on her lips. This was really unnecessary, but it was very courteous of him none the less. Perhaps one day it will serve useful.

Mid turn towards the door, the Gent's elderly wife hurried toward her, holding out to her a pair of brand new running shoes.

"Yours looked tattered and worn. These will be much more comfortable and add a little zip to your step! Don't worry, these have never been used. We bought them previously for our daughter before she left. Unfortunately we accidentally got the wrong size. It's alright, she was most forgiving and offered to let the next trainer who passed by in need keep them."

This almost brought tears to Ripley's eyes. Seriously, these people were much too kind to even stand it. She gratefully took the shoes, taking a moment or two to change into them.

"Oh, I'll take those, dear," the old woman had said, compromising the old pair from Ripley's hands. "Snubble was running out of things to chew on. She'd be overjoyed."

The three laughed.

Ripley now stood at the other end of Cherrygrove, facing forward to a sign that printed in white, bold letters, 'Route 30'. She turned momentarily, and waved to the older couple with a wide grin.

With that, she gave a glance at Chikorita, who gazed up at her confidently.

She smirked, the two almost bounding off.

The pair of elderly people waved both trainer and pokemon off until they lost sight of them in the tall grass. They smiled, then exchanged looks. They didn't have to say anything. Both knew what the other was thinking, it was in the air.

This trainer was going to be something great.


	5. 04: Last Place

She was aware of what direction she was heading to. But, it didn't stop her from every now and again peering at the map registered on her Gear. Chikorita was in the lead, keeping his guard up. There was something odd about his step, though. With each one, it would receive a wince. He was limping.

The battles on the way were a little more difficult than before. What could be worse than Pidgey, right? Oh yeah.

Weedle.

It was fine when Chikorita battled wild Pidgey. They only knew the move tackle. But Weedle were a way different story. The only attack that would be her downfall if she didn't take it seriously enough.

Poison sting.

This was starting to grow irritating.

It only added insult to injury when a direct hit resulted in poisoning her pokemon. Luckily, she had found an antidote that had been conveniently lying around at the edge of the tall grass. Ripley quickly treated to her Chikorita's ailments. Hopefully, nobody was going to miss it.

Ripley let out a groan. Encountered yet another damn Arceus forsaken Weedle! She thought of the unthinkable at this point. Without a second thought, she scooped Chikorita up, taking one last glance at the bug pokemon, then took off.

She ran away.

The creature let out a yell in frustration. Though, his trainer proceeded to walk on. With him still in her arms. He stared at her, with a, 'I totally had that battle' written all over his face.

She sighed, as if reading his thoughts and understanding his agitation.

"No," she retorted; "You didn't have it. I can't risk you getting poisoned again. And the fact that something like a Weedle can dish out critical hits like that doesn't ensure your victory. At least with Pidgey, a simple tackle can be less than lethal at this point. If anything bad were to come of that, I could easily patch that up with a potion. Whereas, I only had one antidote.."

Chikorita didn't do anything more after that, just sulked a little as he continued to be carried.

What a relief it was to finally meet their destination!

Ripley was hoping this time it was the right place. The last house she visited proved to be a simple mistake. However, the man seemed to touched, she couldn't bear explain that she meant to find Mr. Pokemon's house and this was all a mere fluke.

Coincidentally, there had been a sign nailed to the front door that read in bold lettering; 'Mr. Pokemon's House'.

...

Obviously, she wasn't the only one who got confused.

Ripley set her Chikorita down after reaching the end of the tall grass. Approaching closer, she had spotted a small tree. She beamed, sprinting toward the plant and kicking the base, where a decent-sized nut had dropped to the ground. Ripley reached to pick up the nut. It almost looked like a pokeball.

"Sweet, another Apricorn," she said proudly, Chikorita chirped happily in response.

She placed the pink Apricorn alongside a green one, into a collection box that the man had generously given her as a token for her visit. It was nice that there are Apricorn trees around this region. There hand't been any where she had lived before, so they were kind of rare. Either you found empty pokeball lying around, or you had to buy them for sometimes a ridiculous amount at the Mart. Having a local pokeball welder around these parts made it a great advantage.

The door had swiftly opened to reveal an anxious Ethan. Ripley, who had her fist up to knock at the door, stood there dumbfounded, blinking stupidly.

"And where the Hell did you wander off to!?," he asked, voice raising a little in volume. This wasn't new. He always freaked out like this when one of his friends were the last ones to show up after a while and all of a sudden disappeared. Even if was like a simple game of Hide n' Seek. He couldn't bear the feeling of abandonment. It's been like this since they were children. Lyra peeked over his shoulder, then shoved him off to the side to grab Ripley in a hug. He swore under his breath in response.

"We were worried! Where were you?"

Still dumbstruck, Ripley sputtered, "What in the Arceus? I wasn't even that far behind you.. At least. I didn't think I was."

Ethan folded his arms with a huff, "We've been here for almost an hour waiting for you. Where were you dawdling off to?"

Ripley gently pried Lyra off of her person, holding her away at arms length. "For the love of- Look I took a break to heal up my pokemon when I reached Cherrygrove, a nice couple took me in and showed me around. We made small talk, the Gent updated my map. On my way here I took a stop at another man's house to get an Apricorn box. On our way we encountered so many pokemon it was stupid. It didn't help that most of them were Weedle that happened to be super effective against my grass type. I wasn't my fault that I had to fend for myself and find my way here alone while two of my friends, who were supposed to lead me into the right direction, were too Hell bent on winning some stupid race!"

Ethan opened his mouth, then closed it immediately like a confused Majikarp. Lyra looked a little hurt.

Maybe that was a little bit much. But, hey. Was she lying?

"Okay, okay," she sighed; "That was harsh. Can you blame me? I only just got here and I'm already being interrogated."

She let go of Lyra, outstretching her arms away from herself to show there was no further harm, "But, look! I'm perfectly fine! And Chikorita has gotten stronger on our small journey here."

Chikorita let out a battle cry, swinging the large leaf on his head around. What a show-off.

A clear of the throat had made the three look the other direction of a man in a tailored suit and hat.

"Well, I am glad you can all make it here. Nonetheless," he interrupted.

Ripley smiled thankfully, "You must be Mr. Pokemon."

He nodded, "Indeed, I am. Now, on to business."

Mr. Pokemon took no hesitation to take out a silver briefcase, snapping it open to reveal an egg of creme color and decorated with green polka dots.

"This is what I want Elm to study for me. A friend of mine had found it and brought it to me from Goldenrod."

The teens looked at the egg for a long time. To Ethan and Lyra, this was really nothing to a surprise. There was a DayCare somewhere in the Region where they bred eggs there all the time. And the owners happened to be Ethan's grandparents. To Ripley, this was completely foreign to her. Pokemon eggs were indeed rare where she was from. And the pressure it gave off gave an eerie feeling in her stomach. It hadn't even hatched yet and already she could feel the power emitting from it. She stared intently at it for what seemed like hours.

"That reminds me, I must introduce you before you head off again," Mr. Pokemon's voice chimed in and rang in Ripley's ears.

Another had stepped forth, who Ripley wasn't even aware that was even there to begin with. Showed how much she payed attention. She turned, then froze.

"And with that, I'm-," he had cut off, staring at the girl in complete shock. She did the same. The name she spoke was almost breathless.

"Professor Oak?"


	6. 05: Eggs, Eggs, Eggs

There was complete silence. It was quite uncomfortable.

Ethan and Lyra stared in between the other two, mouths agape. Mr. Pokemon pulled the brim of his hat over his eyes.

Awkward.

"You know him!?," they both shouted in unison.

"Ripley?," Oak questioned, almost as if he didn't believe who he was seeing. It was like looking at a ghost.

"You know her!?"

"Well, I'll be!," he smiled, brightly; "I would have never expected to run into you after so long! You've grown so much!"

Ripley scratched at her cheek sheepishly. "Yeah...," she replied; "you look well, also."

"It appears you are getting on well here since moving to Johto. You have a pair of fine friends that seem to care for you very much, from what they told be before you had arrived," he said, making Lyra blush and Ethan look away modestly.

"And what's this?"

He peered behind her at the Chikorita that pressed himself closer to his trainer, protectively. He gazed up at the man, skeptically.

"A rare pokemon?," he asked; "Well, it seems like it likes you very much! I'm not too surprised. You treat your pokemon with love and care. I'm happy to see you're starting over."

Her expression fell, then nodded slowly.

Oak frowned, then perked up, quickly reaching into his labcoat pocket. "I have almost forgot!," he exclaimed. Ripley knitted her eyebrows together, confused. Then, after finally peering at what he had in his hand, it almost made her shout for joy.

It was her old Pokedex.

He smiled, handing the piece of technology over to her greedy hands. "It still has the pokemon you caught registered into it while you were in Kanto. I had a feeling I'd run into you, so I kept it on me at all times should it ever happened. I never thought it'd be this soon. I also updated it for you for Johto."

She looked it over. Rattata, Pidgey, Caterpie, Weedle, Kakuna, Metapod.. They were all there. Then, her eyes trailed over a particular name that made her heart swell with grief.

"How is he..?," she questioned softly, almost in a whisper.

Oak nodded, "Your Wartortle is doing just fine. He misses you very much. As I am sure you miss him as well."

Ripley swallowed the lump in her throat. She had meant to return to Pallet Town one of these days to visit her old 'team'. Unfortunately, there were no means of transportation to get there yet. She gripped her Pokedex tighter, just gazing intently at her Wartortle's picture, along with the evolution chart from when he was a Squirtle.

It hurt.

Ethan watched Ripley closely. She owned a pokemon before, and even already started a Pokedex? Hell, he thought she was as clueless as he was until today. The only other person he knew that actually owned a pokemon was Lyra.

It was even a friggen' Wartortle!

This made Ethan feel small all of a sudden.

The look he was giving Ripley must have grown intense, because she had shrunken away a little. He flinched. Great, now he felt bad.

Oak looked at her. Then at the raven haired boy. He coughed a little, then revealed two more Pokedexes, handing them over to Lyra and Ethan.

"I had meant to give these to Elm to give to the next trainers who obtained his new pokemon. So, I might as well hand them over to you now personally. Don't worry, I didn't forget about you," he told them, offering a warm smile.

Lyra held the device in her hand, shocked, "Th-Thank you very much!" Ethan blinked, "Wow, thanks."

"You two look like you have the potential to raise your pokemon with love and respect, as well. How about you do me a favor? Find and collect as many pokemon as you can for my research. I am too old to make this adventure. But, you three can go at your own pace. I don't expect you to just head off into the unknown and start looking right away."

This surprised Ripley a little, knowing the 'you three' meant that she was included. He's actually giving her another shot at this? She looked at her friends, they obviously were already on board with the whole idea.

"Hell yeah I will!," Ethan answered, hyped up. Lyra nodded eagerly, to excited to even speak.

This made her smile.

"Grand! That's the spirit," Oak gave the two a thumbs up. He then turned his focus on Ripley, his expression softened; "It would give me nothing but joy if you decided to try again. But I can't force you. Do whatever makes you feel comfortable. I understand this is nothing like Kanto."

It's like he read her mind. She pretty much went as far as past Pewter City to Mt. Moon. It wasn't like she knew the whole region much like the back of her hand. She really didn't get a chance to explore further.

She had to think about it.

Oak had check his watch, "Oh dear. I had better get going, I have a radio show in Goldenrod in an hour, and it won't be easy along the way."

He gave Mr. Pokemon a nod in goodbye and thanks, then headed out the door, but not before giving Ripley an encouraging pat on the head.

"Yes, well," Mr. Pokemon interrupted; "It looks like your pokemon are all well and healed. I don't want to keep you waiting here any longer. Professor Elm must be getting more anxious by now with each moment you're not there. I know how he is..."

He gingerly picked up the egg, and out of the three, handed it to Ripley, smiling. This perplexed her.

"I know I can count on you to take good care of it."

This was all he said, before ushering the teens out.

All they could do was stare at the door that had just closed. Ripley raised an eyebrow, a little agitated now.

That was just rude.

"So...," Ethan began, wrapping an arm around her shoulders; "You have a lot of explaining to do." He eyed her, suspiciously.

She opened her mouth to counter his demand. Then the phone in her Pokegear went off.

Ripley rolled her eyes, shrugging the boy off with a smile, "Get off of me, Goof."

She reached into her back for her gear, pressing a button to answer her phone.

"Yeah, Prof.?," the pinkette answered, swatting the air in front of Ethan to shut him up of his laughter; "Sh! I'm trying to hear!"

"Oh dear! Ripley! This is a disaster! Something terrible happened! I tried getting a hold of Ethan and Lyra but they didn't answer. Please, head to the lab. Quick!"

_Click._


	7. 06: Trainer ? would Like to Battle!

"Hello? Ripley?," Ethan called, then waved a hand in front of her face. She just stood there, eyes wide, and phone still in her hand, trembling.

"Hellooo."

She swiftly grabbed at his wrist, which made him yelp in surprise.

"We need to head back. Now," she demanded, through gritted teeth.

The other two blinked in confusion. "What? Why?," Lyra asked.

"Seriously," Ethan said; "What's up? You looking like you seen a Ghastly or something."

Ripley shook her head frantically, "No. We have to get going! There's no time!"

She let go of Ethan, then headed off to the opposite direction, leaping off of a ledge on her way. Chikorita was already at her heels.

"Wha? Wait! You didn't tell us what was going on!," Ethan yelled after her, then swore under his breath. Damnit, she always did this! Sometimes it pissed him off.

"Let's go, Totodile," he grumbled a little, the pokemon looked up at him, worried. Ethan glanced over his shoulder, "You coming Lyra?" Unfortunately, he didn't even give her a chance to decide as he sprinted off. The two headed after the pink-haired girl and her Chikorita.

"Wha- Hold on!," the brunette whined; "Wait for me!"

Meanwhile, Ripley ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Of course the trip back resulted in a few more wild encounters. Easily, Chikorita took them all down with some brutal tackles. The adrenaline that ran through both of their systems made them almost unstoppable. This only occurred for half a mile, though. Conveniently, there were little shortcuts made of other ledges to hop over, just so the two wouldn't have to venture into the tall grass again. Too bad this couldn't be possible vise verse when they started out. But, there wasn't any time to complain or question about that right now.

All while running, there were all these negative outcomes playing through her head like a Horror movie.

_What's going on? What happened? Is the lab on fire? Everything was just fine when we left! Damnit, I wish that I had called sooner to check up on everyone!_

She was growing angry with herself, tears of frustration burning her steel colored eyes. There was only a matter of time before something else bad happens.

Reaching the end of Cherrygrove, the two had to skid to a stop from the mere fact someone else was heading the other way. Sadly, she wasn't able to stop quick enough. Two craniums had collided with each other, knocking Ripley over onto her rear. She groaned, vision of her surroundings swirling around her in slow motion. Rubbing the forming bruise on her forehead, she looked up to glare aimlessly at the culprit that so rudely ran into her.

"Ugh.. Hey, watch where you're going, fool!," a voice growled. Her vision started to steady, now staring into the icy hued gaze that narrowed right back at her with the intensity of an Arbok.

This hindered her for a moment. Then, she shook her head, which made the sudden headache worse.

"Excuse me?," she snapped; "You were the one who ran into me without even slowing down! You're the one who should watch it!"

Ripley stood, stumbling a little, but quickly caught her balance and dusted herself off. Man, he had a hard head.

"Now if you don't mind. As much as I've love to argue with you on manners, I got to get going. I've an emergency back home."

The red-headed male scoffed, then eyed the Chikorita in front of her, growling at him in warning.

"So," he huffed; "You also got a pokemon at the lab. Tch, what a waste."

In the midst of shoving past him, she halted, back stiffening. She looked at him again, eyes blazing with building fury.

"The Hell did you just say?"

This gained a smirk from the individual, "You heard me. What? You don't get what I'm saying? Let me spell it out for you." He reached into his pants pocket, then tossed a pokeball to the ground. It opened with a loud crack. Ripley's eyes widened. Chikorita let out a surprising yelp.

"I, too, have a strong pokemon. I'll show you what exactly I mean by beating you and that useless plant of yours."

It was Cyndaquil.

"Wha- How did you..?," She breathed.

The passerby boy shrugged, ignoring the question completely. She clenched her fists. Fine. A battle he wants? A battle he gets. This wasn't her first, and he was in for a rude awakening.

"Fine. Let's do this, ya' Asscheek," she spat out; "Let's go. Chikorita!"

The pokemon leaped forward, swinging the leaf on his head menacingly. Cyndaquil let out a cry, blowing a small puff of smoke, the fire on it's tail blazing.

The first move made was a tackle from Chikorita, being slightly faster than his fire type opponent. Training in many other battles before, it hit without fail. The Cyndaquil went down immediately, then stood with a shake of it's body. The small pokemon mimicked the other. Chikorita tried to move out of the way at the last minute, unfortunately not fast enough. However, it served as a mere shove. The Cyndaquil wasn't as grown as the grass type yet, so the attacks proved less fatal. Chikorita pushed back with yet another tackle. It fell, struggling to get back up.

A critical hit.

"Tch. You're doing okay," the male commented, then smirked, smugly; "For someone weak."

Her eye twitched. Okay, now this guy was getting on her nerves. Thankfully, this match wasn't going to be too much longer after another hit. She seriously had no time to deal with self-absorbed newbs.

"Chikorita. You got this! Finish off with another tackle!"

It's over. This was hers. However, mere shock passed over her face as she watched her foe's pokemon proceeded to yet again, stand.

What?

The passerby boy laughed, "You idiot. While your pokemon was so blind in attacking. Look what mine's been doing the whole time."

She squinted her eyes. Why was he so happy? He was going to end up losing anyway. But, it seemed claiming a victory in a pokemon battle wasn't what he sought anymore. He was desperate. Ripley watched carefully, her attention focusing on the Cyndaquil's slit eyes. The girl noticed Chikorita flinch back a little from his opponent, guilt etched all over his face. By the second, his defense fell, almost to dangerous amounts. If anything should go awry and his next attack missed, it could come to dire consequences, and it'll be finished. Her jaw locked, a wave of fury washing through her.

The little shit was leering at him the whole time.

This was so wrong! How could he make pokemon that were practically raised around one another do this to each other!? She couldn't bear seeing her own pokemon suffer emotionally like this. Aware that the two were good friends previously not too long ago, but now turned into bitter enemies. Unfortunately, this is what a pokemon battle was.

Ripley bit her lip. She had made the decision.

"Chikorita. Tackle."

He looked back at her with uncertainty. She returned his gaze with acknowledgement in her eyes.

_I know this isn't what you wanted. But, we have to win. We can't let this guy get away with everything he's done. For Cyndaquil._

As if understanding what she had thought, Chikorita nodded. He turned, expression determined. The Cyndaquil took a step back. In a split second, the fire pokemon flew into the air, and landed hard into the dirt at his trainer's feet.

The Foe's Cyndaquil fainted.

Within another moment, Ripley had made her way to Cyndaquil with haste, in attempt to heal whatever she could to make it up to the other starter pokemon. The passerby boy withdrew it with an arrogant snort, making her stop at mid step.

"Are you happy that you won?"

She glared at him coldly. "The Hell are you?," she hissed. Ripley wanted to make sure she kept his name in her memory.

He was going to pay.

He rolled his eyes, "All you need to know. Is that I will be the world's greatest pokemon trainer. This was just a mere setback. But believe me. I will crush you the next time you see me."

He began to walk away, making sure to bump into her harshly by the shoulder. She reeled her elbow back a little, resisting the urge to punch him. As she began to head the other direction, a small glint of shiny plastic had caught her eye. Ripley looked down, then picked up the object.

It was a Trainer Card.

There was a rough shove to her back, causing her to drop the card. It was quickly snatched up by it's owner.

"Hey! What's the big idea! That's my Trainer card!," the passerby boy roared in anger. A look of slight fear had ran through him; "Oh no.. You saw my name..." With that, he made a mad dash out of the city.

Ripley coughed, spitting out dirt and debris. She clawed at the earth, clearly pissed.

"That little..."

Chikorita let out a whine, nudging his nose to her dirty cheek.

She let out a sigh, "You're right. Going after him would be pointless right now. I didn't forget about the lab. We need to get going." The pokemon chirped, agreeing.

She stumbled back up, once more. Heading off down Route 29, not even bothering on cleaning herself up a second time.

_At least I got the name down._

His name was Silver.


	8. 06-2: Obtained the PokeGear!

In the depths of the caves of Mt. Silver, there inhabited a boy of nineteen. After another session of intense training with his team against only the strongest wild pokemon of both regions, he finally decided to take the time to rest and heal up his own.

He looked each of them over, fondly, and they did the same. The boy seated himself in front of a large fire onto a nest of pillows and blankets along with a thick sleeping bag. He stared intently into the flames, hand patting gently at the soft, yellow fur of the Pikachu that curled next to him.

He waited patiently. For, he was missing one out of his six-man team. Every now and again he'd send his Charizard out to retrieve mail and packages for him from his loved ones back in Pallet Town, just to keep in touch. If there ever was any. Sometimes, there wasn't. But, it didn't hurt on making sure. Every once a week. It was more routine now.

The loud sound of wings beating the air had broke him out of focus. He turned, then abruptly stood, casually approaching the opposing-looking creature. The large fire pokemon leaned his head down, expecting a reward for his chore. It snorted, loudly from it's nose, the force of air making the hat it's trainer donned fly off just a foot away. The boy petted it's nose affectionately, reaching into his jacket pocket, and offering a handful of berries. The Charizard happily accepted.

As it was eating, the boy had untied a package that was secure around it's neck. He took the package, ripping off the page that had been taped to the wrapping. His crimson eyes scanned the scribbled mess of writing he recognized anywhere.

It was from Professor Oak.

That's right. It was only the Professor and his mother that were actually aware of his whereabouts. And he was just fine with that.

He read the letter:

_I hope you are doing well!_

_Headed to Johto just this morning. Luckily your Charizard had caught me just in time. _

_Found an egg on my visit to Goldenrod, and gave it to a friend of mine to investigate. _

_I mention this, because the egg was entrusted with an old acquaintance of ours. I ran into Ripley. What a coincidence!_

_I gave her her old pokedex with an update for new pokemon. She seemed happy. _

_I'm hoping you three will meet up again one day._

He pondered the name for a while. Ripley. That sounded quite familiar.

But, he wondered why he was writing all this to him. Suppose it was nice to keep up with what was going on. The mention of an egg did pique his interest. He rarely seen any in Kanto. So, he wondered what type it was. It must have been important if there was a fuss on who would be the one to carry it. And whoever this Ripley character was, she must be a big deal if she was the one trusted with it.

He shrugged, then noticed there was more:

_P.S. I also wanted to give you something that was a little more of this generation. It might serve better than keeping updated with letters._

_Once you are familiar with it. You can tune in on my Radio show that's broadcasted in Goldenrod along with other stations that might prove useful._

The boy blinked, then set the letter down, taking no time to rip away the brown wrapping of his package.

What an odd-looking thing...

It almost looked like a pokedex, but perhaps maybe with the combination of an address book. There was a map, phone, radio, calendar, clock ect.

_It's called the PokeGear._


	9. 07: So, Silver was his Name?

"Professor!," Ripley shouted, busting through the doors; "Is everything okay? Are you hurt? Are you bleeding internally? Hemorrhaging?"

She sprinted to the man, slipping once or twice on the fine polished floor. The girl fell forward, grabbing onto Elm's arms to balance herself.

"Ripley!," he exclaimed, holding her in place. She shook her head to gather her wits, then looked around. Everything seemed to be in place. Everyone looked okay, excluding the fact they stared at her like she had lost her mind.

She blushed, then stood up straight. "Uh," Ripley began; "So... What was the big emergency?"

There was a presence behind her. Suddenly, her hands were bound to her back by something cold, followed by a few soft clicks.

Handcuffs.

Her eyes widened, looking behind her as well as she could to stare at the restraints, bewildered and confused. Her head shot up to gaze at a Police Officer who gave her a stony look.

"Miss, you are under arrest for the theft of Professor Elm's Pokemon."

...

What.

Her mouth hung open. Then, her heart fell. Her eyes welled a little with the feeling of betrayal. Was this really a set up? What the Hell!? She thought Elm trusted her! Why was he having her arrested! Her eyes narrowed, "The Hell are you talking about?! I just got here!"

"Rule no. 1. It's always possible for the criminal to always come back to the crime scene to either finish what they started or just out of pure guilt. And seeing as you are the only one who arrived. I'm suspecting you are the one who did it."

He then jerked his head to the snarling Chikorita, "And you have a pokemon with you."

Her eyebrow twitched.

He must be new.

"For the record, dumbass," she growled; "The last pokemon Elm owned that was just on that table was a Cyndaquil. A FIRE pokemon. Does mine honestly look like a damn fire-type to you when he's all green and has an Arceus forsaken LEAF on his head!?"

He shook his head, "Insulting an officer. That's an offence." The man took out a pokeball of his own, releasing a Growlithe.

"Growlithe, apprehend the pokemon."

The fire pokemon jumped forward, while Chikorita shifted back with a tremble. It was using Intimidate.

"Don't you dare touch him!," Ripley shrieked, her arms restricted by the vice grip of the man. She struggled, but to no avail of escaping. He was clearly stronger than she was.

"Resisting. Second offence."

"I swear to Arceus if you don't let me go-"

"Threatening an Officer. Third offence."

Elm stepped forward, feebily attempting to intervene, "Uhm, Officer. She wasn't the one who did it... She is right when she said the pokemon was-"

The Police Officer held up a hand, "There's no need, Professor, to defend this criminal. It's obvious she's the one who did it. An innocent never gets this defensive when accused. She's hiding something. Even though what she has now is clearly a grass type. She could have hidden the other somewhere. I will organize a search for your pokemon."

Ripley's face expressed as if she just got slapped in the face. "Really?!," she snapped; "What would you do if all of a sudden you had your hands tied behind your back without as MUCH of a warning?! I bet you would be completely beside yourself! What kind of cop are you!?"

"Be quiet, thief."

Ethan had slammed open the door, all eyes were on him. "Damnit, Ripley! What the Hell did you leave me for-," he paused, staring stupidly at the scene before him. Lyra appeared behind him not too long after, panting heavily.

"What..," he breathed; "Is going on here?" Lyra blinked, regaining composure. "Ripley?," she questioned, almost not believing what she was seeing herself; "Why are you being handcuffed? And what's going on with Chikorita?"

The man scoffed, "This girl is being compromised for the disappearance of the pokemon Cyndaquil."

Ethan grew furious. "What!?," he screamed; "She would never do anything like that! Ripley was with us the whole time! Lyra here will even vouch for her!"

Lyra nodded, glaring daggers, "Let her go you bully!"

He sneered, "If she didn't do it, who did?"

"Tch," Ethan replied; "I'll be happy to tell you. But not until you let Ripley go."

"Young man, I can't-"

"Then you won't get your prime suspect out of me. So I guess your shit outta luck, pal."

The Officer growled, forcing the cuffs off of the girl's wrist with a harsh yank. Ripley rubbed at her wrists gingerly, swearing under her breath.

"Growlithe, stand down," he ordered. The pokemon looked at him in almost disbelief. Then, retreated, eyeing Chikorita. The grass pokemon whimpered a little, hopping into the safety of his trainer's arms.

Lyra automatically went to her side, hugging onto her arm, protectively. Ethan stood before the two girls, arms crossed with a look that gave the message, 'Touch her again, I fucking dare you'.

The older male stored his cuffs away.

"So," he grumbled; "Are you going to give me some answers, kid?"

Ethan gave a victorious smirk, "Gladly."

After a while of questioning and interviewing. It seemed that the Officer was finally satisfied with the answers he got. He stood, dusting off his uniform. He observed the boy that stood in front of him, still holding the same protective stance in front of his two friends.

"So, let me get this straight," he began; "The culprit was a boy, about your age. He had red hair. And you said he was looking through the lab window?"

Ethan nodded, "Yes. I approached him, asking what the Hell he thought he was doing spying. He glared at me then demanded what 'I was staring at' and pushed me out of the way before running off like the coward he was."

"I see, did you happen to get his name?"

There was silence.

"I know his name," Ripley spoke up. Everyone's attention was on her now.

"Do you now?," the man raised a 'brow; "What is it, then?"

She looked at him, straight in the eye, "His name is Silver."

...

"Silver, eh? Well, I guess I better gather a search party for this red-headed individual. I apologize for taking your time."

He turned to leave, then craned his head to the pinkette with a narrowed stare. "You better watch yourself, Missy," he growled; "You're on my Shit List." With that said, he left, Growlithe bounding behind him with a bark. Ripley rolled her eyes.

_What an ass._


	10. 08: What time is it? Adventure Time!

**Author's Note: ****_Thank you all so much, my Followers! I'm happy that you're enjoying reading this series as much as I am writing it! A special shout out to Gin Nanashi for giving me such wonderful reviews! You are the sweetest and I'm glad you're loving this story so far! :) You give me motivation to proceed on and write more than ever!_**

**_-S._**

* * *

The three teens just stared at the pair of doors. Chikorita puffed up a little, enraged. The Totodile at Ethan's feet made silly faces at the cop that had already left.

Ripley made a face of her own, "Well, that was something different for a change in this boring ol' town. And I didn't like it one bit."

Ethan nodded, then turned to place his hands on her shoulders. "Are you okay?," he asked, concerned. He looked her over, to see if the man had done anymore harm to her before he had arrived. The girl stared at him like he had lost it, then shrugged him off with a smile. She lightly punched him in the shoulder.

"Jeeze," she laughed; "You act just like my mother, Ethan. Calm down. There's no need to act the 'Hero' anymore."

The boy puffed his cheeks out a little, which drew a snicker from Lyra.

"She told you," she chimed in. He glared, playfully, "Oh, shut up."

Elm had smiled, relieved, "Now that that's all settled.." The trio focused on him.

"That's right," Ripley nodded.

"So, what was it that you wanted to show me?"

The pink-haired girl propped her bag onto the table. Holding a breath, she snapped it open, swinging the flap of the tote open to reveal the untouched egg. She let out a sigh. Thank Arceus it didn't break on her way here. Not to mention that she had fallen. Twice.

Elm blinked, then took a sudden step back. "This is an egg isn't it? Mr. Pokemon wanted me to research this?" He came forward again, almost pressing his face to the decorated, hardened surface of the shell to observe it. "This is definitely something unlike anything I've ever seen."

"What do you mean?," Lyra asked, furrowing her 'brows together; "There are tons of eggs in Johto. Ask Ethan's Grandpa and Grandma. They own and breed almost every one in the region."

"Yes. But as I said. I have never seen an egg like this before in Johto. It must be promising if Mr. Pokemon wants us to study it. So, we might as well keep it for further observation. You noticed the odd aura emitting from it. Right, Ripley?"

The girl blinked, pointing at herself foolishly. "Me?," she answered, then looked to the floor scratching her cheek; "Yeah, I guess. It was weird, though."

He nodded, "Then I will take a better look at it later. Now, what took you three so long to return?"

Lyra reached into her bag pocket, "Well, Ripley had a little run-in with some wild pokemon, then she met up with us. After that we met Mr. Pokemon and his friend Professor Oak. He was really nice! Oh! And he gave each of us this."

She handed him her pokedex. He looked perplexed, then grew anxious.

"A pokedex? Oak gave you three these? That's wonderful! I knew you guys were a little different. Why, he's superb at seeing potential in people and pokemon alike!"

He looked like he could hardly contain himself. Poor guy seemed like he was going to faint any passing second. The teens could only exchange awkward looks. The man began to calm down, handing Lyra back her pokedex, who securely hid it back in her tote bag.

"Wow," the excitable Professor exlaimed; "You three might actually even make the journey of challenging Gym Leaders and becoming Champion!"

Ethan perked up at the word 'Chapmion'. Had his full attention now.

Elm rubbed at his chin, thoughtfully. "Hm," he pondered; "Or not." He looked at Ethan, who almost appeared like he was going to cry at the change of heart.

"Ethan, becoming the Champion isn't that simple. Your pokemon like you enough, but will it ensure you on getting yourselves to the top? I cannot predict the future for you. You three can probably start by challenging the Violet City's Gym Leader if you'd like, however."

The boy trembled with excitement. Ripley glanced at him with worry. He kept this up his empty head would explode.

The very idea of going on another journey to challenge Gyms and other trainers gave her a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Elm turned to her, then patted her shoulder. He was the only one who knew of her situation from the day she moved into New Bark.

"I understand if you're not ready. It's hard from starting one adventure, then having to give that dream up to only ending up starting a whole new-"

"I'll do it."

He blinked.

"What?"

She stared, blankly, before repeating, bluntly, "I'll do it."

"Wha- What? Are you sure?"

"I don't like to repeat myself. Professor."

Ethan grinned, then looped his arm around Ripley's shoulders, yanking her close. "Hell yeah!," he said with enthusiasm; "I'm going too!" Lyra giggled at the two, then looked to Elm. "Well," she said; "If Ripley and Ethan are going. I'm going, also."

Elm smiled, then a serious realization dawned over him. "If you three do this," he said; "You know at the end of your journey. You'll have to face one another to decide the fate as Pokemon League Champion. Are you willing to do that?"

They all remained silent.

"Pfft," Ethan guffawed; "You really think that something like a title will tear our friendship apart? No offense, Prof. But, Please! No matter what happens. We stick together." He ruffled Ripley's hair, who attempted to headbutt his shoulder. "Get off of me, Screwball!"

The man gave a nod, "For your sake, I'd hope so." His mood then fluctuated back into a cheery one; "You might as well go talk to your parents before you set off, then!"

Ethan saluted, taking a fussy Ripley with him in tow. Lyra followed, waving after, "See ya' later, Professor!"

He had offered a goodbye to the girl, then set his attention on the egg.

_Let's get to work, then._


	11. 09: Journey of a Lifetime Awaits!

"So, you're going on another adventure?"

"Yep."

"You sure? This isn't like Kanto."

"I'm sure."

"You want me to save some money for you after your battles? Money's important while on an adventure."

"I'm okay, mom, thanks though."

"Okay... But make sure to call me whenever you can. Especially when you arrive and leave a city!"

"I will, I will."

The woman hugged her daughter tightly. "Look at you, taking the world on again with your cute pokemon," she smiled, teasing a little. Ripley huffed, placing her hands on her hips after embracing her mother back.

"Mom," she whined; "Chikorita isn't _cute._ He's hardcore."

The pokemon looked at her with an oblivious smile. What's Hardcore?

Her mother handed over a large backpack. It looked like it was almost about to bust at the seems of stuff she thought she might need. "This might serve better than that dinky tote you carry around with you everywhere. I swear, you were wearing that poor thing out," she told her.

Ripley made a face, taking the luggage with gratitude, "Hey. It's my favorite bag. My Tote is pretty much the only thing close to Kanto that I can hold onto."

Seriously. She's had the thing since she started out with a Squirtle. Even though her journey was a short lived one, she still managed to use that bag up with all that it's worth. Hell, a while back, one day she decided to clean it out, maybe discover hidden items. Sure enough, Ripley managed to pull out about two pokeballs, three potions, and one antidote that had been left over. And, hey! She found her first Gym badge in there. Which was now safely pinned to her cap.

She swung the backpack over her shoulder with a grunt. Good Lord. What was in there?!

"Jeeze, mom," she said; "What did you put in here? My whole room?"

Her mother blinked, then shrugged, "What? I only put the essentials in there. Some clothes, a toothbrush, toilet paper, food, iPod, your sketch book, DS, laptop, health and feminine products."

Yep. Pretty much her whole room. She wasn't going to even question how she managed to fit all of that in there. When it came to storage, it was like playing Tetris with her mother. When there was a will, there sure as Hell was a way. And Arceus was it heavy! By the end of the journey, she'd be buff as fuck!

The woman pulled her girl into another hug that was tighter than the last time that made her almost suffocate. Ripley coughed a little, hugging her back.

"Be careful, you hear?"

"Yeah, mom. I will. Don't worry."

She eyed her daughter, "You better be." She then proceeded to usher the girl out.

Ripley laughed a little, taking this as a hint to finally get going.

Outside, she looked over to the distance. Lyra and Ethan were already waiting for her at the end of town. She grinned, waving over to them, then turned to her mom.

"I'll call when I get to Violet City," she reassured. Her mother nodded, then kissed her on the forehead, mumbling, "I'm so proud of you."

"I love you mom."

"Love you, too. Now, get going. And have fun!"

The pinkette sprinted off to her friends, giving a surprise leap onto Ethan's back. He almost fell forward with a shout.

"I give, I give!"

She laughed, "I saw you making fun of me. Don't deny it!"

He made a face, "So? It's not my fault you're a Mommy's girl-OW." She punched him in the arm, then gave a roll of her eyes. "Oh c'mon. I didn't even punch you that hard. Ya' big baby." Ethan rubbed at his arm, mocking hurt. He stuck his tongue out at her, receiving another hit, snickering.

Lyra giggled, "Don't worry, my mom was the same way. Though I think I win in this case. She barely let me out of the house. It was a miracle that I was able to convince her otherwise after a couple hours of begging or so."

"Well, the important thing is that we're all here now," Ripley said.

Ethan looped his arms around the two girls, "Well, what are we waiting for? Lets get this journey started!"

Lyra grinned, while Ripley elbowed him in the ribs a little, "We can't be traveling together the whole way if we're all competing for the same thing, doofus."

He pouted, "You're such a party pooper."

"Let's at least venture down the road together until we hit Cherrygrove. Then we'll go our separate ways," the brunette girl suggested.

Ripley thought about this. "Hm," she responded; "Doesn't sound too bad. We might as well, because Ethan here looks like he's about to bust out in tears." She smirked.

"Oi!," he retorted; "That's harsh. Don't be mean!"

"You'll live."

He shrugged, hugging the two tighter to him, "Then, it's settled! We'll all head to Cherrygrove! Then the rest we'll race to become world's best trainer!"

The pink-haired girl rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, as long as you two don't abandon me again like last time."


	12. 10: Gotcha!

Ripley ran back and forth in the tall grass of Route 46. She happened to come across this way venturing back down Route 29. It ended up being a dead-end. But, that was alright. Right now, heading up the mountain that was ahead wasn't her goal.

She was looking for more pokemon, of course.

Lyra and Ethan sat on the plains nearby. The brunette played catch with her Marill with a rock they found. The boy, however, just watched the pink-haired girl, chin rested in his palm as he sat cross-legged in the grass. His Totodile started to tear some out for his own amusement as he sat beside his trainer. Hours have long passed, it was almost evening and the sun was setting behind the mountain of Dark Cave. The poor guy was bored to tears.

"C'mon, Ripley," he groaned; "What are you doing? You already caught a Sentret and a HootHoot. Can't you settle with those for the first Gym?"

The girl popped her head out into view and made a face, "I have a special kind of team in mind, thanks. I can't just go off and catch any kind of pokemon. There are little things called 'type advantages'. We don't know what type of Gym this is!"

"Oh yeah, that's right. You've done this before."

"What the Hell's that supposed to mean?!"

"... Nothing."

Her expression fell, which made him flinch and look away. He didn't mean it. But, damnit. He was tired, and hungry. And BORED.

Ripley had ignored him now, continuing her quest into finding the right asset to her team.

She stood still, coming across a small, darkened mass. She squinted her eyes, then a wide grin spread across her features.

A wild Geodude appeared!

The girl fist pumped the air, silently cheering for joy. The Geodude turned in sensing her presence, surprised.

Crap.

"Wah! Okay! Chikorita!"

The grass pokemon looked to his trainer, attention turned away from nibbling at the dirt. He spotted the rock type, then sprang into action. The Geodude reciprocated, attacking head on.

Ripley couldn't contain her excitement, "Okay, go easy. It isn't that strong yet. Use Tackle!"

It had only took two hits. Geodude was now weakened, and Chikorita wasn't fairing all that well, either. Damn, it hit hard! Ripley grabbed a ball from her bag pocket. Earlier, Ethan's mom was kind enough to buy each of the three basic pokeballs for their journey. She had already wasted two. She tossed it at the dazed Geodude, opening with a pop, then encasing the pokemon inside. Then, she waited, anticipating. The ball trembled.

One.

Two.

Three.

_Click._

Gotcha!

Ripley squealed a little, jumping for joy. "Yes!," she shouted; "I got it!" The girl pulled out her pokedex, making sure that she registered this.

"Okay. So, Geodude. Rock Pokemon. Type: Rock and Ground, of course. Nature: Quiet. Gender: Female. It uses it's arms to steadily climb steep mountain paths. It swings its fists around if angered. Likes to thrash about.. Tch, I'll say."

She nodded, satisfied, then retrieved the ball. She tossed it again, letting the pokemon out. Ripley smiled, then knelt down to heal it's wounds with the potions she had left. Calling for Chikorita, she did the same for him. The Geodude looked up at her, confused.

"Welcome to the team," she greeted, holding her hand out. The pokemon looked a little skeptical, then glanced at the Chikorita. He smiled and chirped happily as a hello of his own. The rock pokemon grabbed hold of the girl's hand then, smiling. "Geo-Dude," she responded.

"Alright!," she cheered; "Now we're getting somewhere!"

Ethan yawned, then started to golf-clap. She threw a pebble at his head.

"Eh?," Ripley turned, then shrieked, falling backward into the grass as something collided into her face. After flailing like a maniac for a moment, she summed up the courage to pull whatever dared attach itself to her person.

It was a Spearow.

Ethan laughed out loud, then quieted after getting spritzed by the Marill with a Bubble.

Lyra glared at him, "Ripley, are you alright?"

She blinked, staring eye to eye with the small pokemon. "Yeah," she called, setting it down.

The Spearow squawked, loudly, flapping it's wings violently and hopping to and fro. By the way it was acting, it was jealous of the Geodude that had been recently captured. It wanted to follow, too.

"What? You want to be caught?"

_Squawk._

"Uh... Okay then. Well, let's show 'em what you're made of, Geodude!"

The pokemon swung herself forward, pounding on the ground to show intimidation. The Spearow started out with a peck. It barely scratched the surface. Geodude repaid with a tackle. The bird fell, then hopped back up, only to peck at her once again. One more tackle was all it took, since the Spearow was even weaker than the rock type.

"Okay, Geodude, enough!," Ripley hollered. She managed to fish out another pokeball, tossing at the hurt Spearow who struggled. It began to tremble, like before.

One.

Two.

Three.

_Click._

"Spearow. Type: Normal; Flying. Gender: Female. Nature: Relaxed. Good perseverance. Very protective of it's territory, it flaps its short wings busily to dart around at high speed. Huh. Interesting."

Ripley popped open another potion. Thank Arceus she had an extra. It's amazing what you can find laying around.

She let out the Spearow, using another potion, having one remaining. The bird pokemon let out a happy cry.

"Well, you're very welcome-Wha?"

The girl blinked, then attempted to look up at the creature that casually perched herself on top of her head.

She smiled, "Okay, then."

"Can we go now?," Ethan whined, obnoxiously. Instead of throwing something heavier at him, Ripley looked over to the boy, and smiled. Which confused him greatly.

"Yeah," she chimed; "We can go now."

"Seriously, I just don't understand why you couldn't just stick with the pokemon you had already caught, instead of putting them into the PC. Seems a little crowded," Ethan said, a little concerned. He wasn't quite sure how the storage system worked.

Ripley handed her pokeballs to Nurse Joy, who took them to the back momentarily. She shot him another look, "They aren't stored _in_ the PC, airhead. The pokeballs are registered then transferred to the lab for Elm to keep in a little area where other pokemon are. Its almost like a refuge."

The trio had finally made it to Cherrygrove a second time. They stopped by at the Poke Center to rest Ripley's poor, weakened pokemon. As they waited, an awkward silence fell over them. Lyra looked to the floor, Marill in her lap. Ethan busied himself by playing with Totodile, having the water pokemon's arms within his hands and flailing them a little at his will. The pokemon cackled and wiggled.

"So... After this," he mumbled; "We're all on our own."

Ripley nodded, "Yep..."

"On to our separate ways."

"Yep.

"Training to be the very best."

"Uh-huh."

"Then one day, we'll cross paths again as rivals and battle to see who's the strongest. It'll all determine our fates."

She nodded. Lyra made a face. "Oh, c'mon, you two. Don't be so down," she huffed.

Ethan looked at her, "Yeah, but, this is actually happening. When you think about it. It's kind of scary."

Ripley snickered a little, "Backing out already?"

He pouted, "Hey! I'm being serious here! Traveling the world, battling trainers that will get progressively stronger, not to mention challenging the Gyms who are probably going to be even more tough to beat. Then you have the Indigo Plateau, Elite Four, then the current Champion. Doesn't it bother you at all?"

She really hadn't thought about that. "A little," she replied after some consideration; "But. I'm looking forward to the aspects of catching more pokemon to fill up my pokedex. Not to mention develop bonds with the ones I travel with. I'm thinking, the stronger the relationship, there really isn't anything we can't do. If we push on, I think victory will be closer than we all think. Your pokemon feel what you feel. So, if we all think positive, they will feed off of that and believe we can actually make it. Which will also make them stronger."

The boy blinked at her, speechless, watching her back as she headed off to the counter to retrieve her pokemon. Lyra grinned, "She's absolutely right." She playfully nudged him; "So stop being so negative! Totodile can feel that." Said pokemon cackled, opening his mouth wide, then closing it. Obviously, he agrees.

"Oof. Okay, okay."

Outside of the Center, the three gathered together for their goodbyes.

Totodile waved at Chikorita, who nudged him affectionately with his nose, then did the same with Marill. Marill squeaked, patting at both as her farewell before shyly hiding behind Lyra.

Ripley watched with a smile, then faced her two friends. "I guess this means goodbye, for now," she said a little sullenly. Ethan nodded, "Yeah. Totodile and I are going to head out and train a little so we're prepared, I hear there are loads of other pokemon up in Dark Cave just down Route 30. It's going to be a little difficult because it'll be pitch black. But, it'll be so worth it!"

"Marill and I are going to train too, and maybe set up camp somewhere," Lyra piped in; "What are you planning on for your next move, Ripley?"

She shrugged, folding her arms behind her head, "I think I will stay here at the Center overnight, then head out early morning. My pokemon went through a lot today, and I think it'll take more than just a few minutes of rest."

The other girl frowned a little, then surprised the pinkette with a tight hug. "Good luck," she told her. Ethan hooked his arms around them, grinning. "Oh, don't be so down," he mocked, imitating Lyra in a high pitched voice. She shot him a glare. Ripley laughed, elbowing him lightly in the side.

"Goof."


	13. 11: Vs Youngster Joey

That night, the three had bid their farewells. Lyra had given Ripley yet another bone-crushing hug (one of these days the poor thing is going to suffocate), while Ethan had scratched at the back of his head, offering his hand to shake, awkwardly. However, the pinkette threw her arms around him in a tight embrace that made him stutter and blush. He pushed her away with a grumble, while she just grinned triumphantly, teasing him how he was still acting like such a kid.

By morning on the next day, Ripley had been all ready to go. Preparations had been made before hand on the previous night once Lyra and Ethan left for their own journey. Thinking about it, she felt a pang in her heart, knowing she was going to miss them dearly. One day, though, they will cross paths again, this time as trainers instead of best friends. This made her smile, anyway.

It was an easier trip down the routes, since by now she has a little part of the map down by memory. Another victory has been made of another wild encounter with a few Rattata, Sentrets, and Pidgey. Geodude pounded her fists together proudly, Spearow had showed off her agility, and Chikorita chirped in approval. Ripley smiled, filled with confidence. It made battles much more easier now Chikorita could use reflect, there were lesser chances of any critical hits from damaging her other two pokemon. Ripley was almost astounded of how much stronger they have grown. They're almost at equal strength to her starter.

The team finally hit that little fork in the road, where one way was divided to lead to Mr. Pokemon's house, and the other continuing forward to route 31. Once there, they will be able to make it to their first destination: Violet City. Ripley ran her fingers through messy bobbed, pink locks, her grin only growing wider. She could hardly contain her excitement now, gazing behind her to look at her team, who stared back with just as much determination and enthusiasm.

"Alright," she exclaimed, clapping her hands together; "Let's get going, then. We have just a little further to go before our first Pokemon Gym." Her Spearow fluttered up high enough in the air just to land on top of her trainer's head as her own personal perch, making herself comfortable. Once relaxed, she sang a little tune, agreeing. Ripley nodded.

A mile out, and the attention of the group had fallen to the frustrated cries of a young boy about half of Ripley's age. Her eyebrows knitted together. She approached him, Geodude and Chikorita following close behind. Spearow eyed him carefully. As they got closer, the expression on the boy's face made it appear like he was pouting, arms and legs crossed as he remained sulking on the grass like a five-year-old throwing a temper tantrum.

"Hey, kid," she said. His head had snapped up, focus on Ripley as his eyes widened. They boy's face heated up drastically, being caught in such a state. She didn't seem to notice.

"You okay?," she pressed; "Did something happen? Are you hurt?"

He shook his head furiously.

"Did you get robbed?"

He shook his head again, "N-no!"

"Then what is it?"

He wiped his eyes, sniffling a little, "I just lost a pokemon battle." Ripley pursed her lips.

Really? Was that it? This made her roll her eyes. This was ridiculous. All this for a loss? When was the last time that this happened? It's been a while. If her memory served correct, she remembered defeating a boy around the same age with her Squirtle back in Kanto, who acted the exact same way. This was always a questionable subject that she could never just find the answer for. Why did boys always make a big deal out of their losses? Even playing a Pokemon card game Ethan had always made a fuss when they were children. Come to think of it. He did that even now. Ripley took a deep breath, attempting at patience.

"Well," she began: "It isn't the end of the world. You can always try again. What I suggest is that you should probably start with training your pokemon in the tall grass instead of sitting on it pondering. Or, try finding another trainer weaker than you." His face began to light up. "Yeah," he replied; "Y'know, you're right!" He sprang up to his feet.

Well that was easy.

"Hey!," he said; "You look weak, c'mon, let's battle!"

...

What?

Before any objections could be made on her part, a pokeball had been tossed at the ground in front of her. Ripley squinted a little, just staring at the pokemon sent out.

A Rattata. Wonderful. She pinched at the bridge of her nose. "Okay, I tried being nice, kid," Ripley grumbled;  
And being rude to your elders won't get you anywhere. I guess you need some lessons. Let's go, Geodude!"

It didn't take very long for the lesson to end. However, she had to give him credit, that rat he had put up a pretty good fight. It even took a third or forth attempt at a Rock Throw to take it down. Thanks Tail Whip. There was a decent amount of damage received as well. Always those critical hits. That was the quality that she hated about Ratatta, as small as they are, they pack a dangerous punch. Always, she underestimated them. It was annoying.

The boy's ego deflated, now dejected. "Oh no," he mumbled; "I'm out of pokemon that can fight..." He retreated the fainted pokemon back into it's ball. His second loss. He approached Ripley, then grinned. She became skeptical.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he glanced down at his shoes shyly; "For calling you weak." He shuffled his feet in the dirt, then stood straight, now feigning confidence. "Can I get your phone number?"

She deadpanned at him.

"T-to battle again some time!"

She looked up over with suspicion, carefully considering it. "I.. Guess so," she answered slowly, and a little uneasily. She reached into her shorts pocket, gingerly pulling out her PokeGear and taking the boy's to register his number in her phone. "Joey, eh?," she asked. He nodded eagerly with a smile. She couldn't help but smile herself, the corners of her lips tugging upward slightly. Ripley now began to plug in her own information into his Gear. "Now, don't be calling me randomly and asking me out on a date or somethin', ya' hear?," she teased, handing the device back to him.

"Cool! Thanks Sis!-"

"Call me Ripley."

Joey nodded again, "Okay. Ripley. I'll call when I get the urge to battle again!"

Ripley laughed lightly, patting the boy's head, then ruffling his hat, causing it to turn askew. He whined, swatting at her playfully, then fixed his cap.

"Hey!," hollered a voice. The two turned. Another youngster around Joey's age approached Ripley with an air of arrogance.

"Great," the other boy muttered darkly; "It's the kid that beat me the first time."

He ignored the comment, shoving Joey aside and holding up a pokeball close to Ripley's face in a threatening manner. "You're a trainer, right?," he questioned; "Then you have to battle!"

"Tch," she scoffed. Honestly, these kids lacked manners. With gusto, the boy tossed the ball, throwing out a Pidgey and another Ratatta. What a surprise. Geodude lunged forward, fists at the ready. She prodded at Spearow who remained on her head, asleep, with her index finger. The bird squawked, nipping at the intruding appendage that had woken her up, annoyed.

"Whad'ya say? Want to take this other rat out?"

There was no need for an answer. Hell, she didn't even have to ask twice. Spearow fluttered away from her perch and darted forward toward one of the foe's pokemon.

"Ya' got this, Sis!," Joey cheered. Ripley turned to him, offering a thumbs-up and a wink.


	14. Side Story - Sneak Peek: Pokemon White

_**Author's note:**_** Hello everyone! Man, what a long hiatus that was! But, no fear! I will be updating a little more often again. I am still continuing on with my Soul Silver Walkthrough/Romance Fanfiction. Here, this is NOT apart of the storyline, but it has strong relevance to it, so I am putting it here to save the trouble of publishing a new story for it, since it isn't quite 'official' yet. I just had an idea flowing and I didn't want to let it get away. ;)**

**So! Here's a little 'sneak peek' of a series that will be after the SS story. This time, it will be taking place in White Version.**

**I wanted to challenge myself, so I'll be making it a Nuzlocke. :D**

**And also, as you read: SPOILER ALERT.**

**Happy reading!**

* * *

She couldn't believe it.

Gray eyes stared at the limp form of the pokemon before her. Not too long ago she had a run-in with this Grunt, demanding her to release her pokemon, threatening force if necessary. She fought back, retaliating such a ridiculous request. Shina loved her pokemon, and they loved her. With confidence she sent out a pokemon that still needed much training, underestimating the abilities of their foe. It looked weak enough.

But, how wrong she was.

Shina still stared for a long while, unable to blink, her eyes began to grow dry and strained. Her Dewott had already taken the place of the fallen team mate with a blinding rage, focusing his energy and dealing the final blow with his razor shell. The girl could feel her knees grow weak, now crumbling to the ground. She attempted to call her pokemon's name, but no sound came. Her mouth was dry, attempting to swallow proved more and more difficult. All she could do was gaze at the body before her, mentally willing for it to get back up. It remained completely still.

It was dead.

_'No,' _she echoed in her thoughts; _'No! This wasn't supposed to happen!' _She began to tremble, fingers digging into the dirt.

_'This wasn't supposed to happen!'_

She continued repeating this in her head, screaming on the inside.

A slight flashback had reeled in her mind at that moment. She remembered the small conversation between herself and her mother on the fundamentals of a pokemon battle when she was seven years old.

_"I don't get it," a young Shina had said. Her little face twisted into a frown, "Isn't it wrong that pokemon battles exist in the first place? Why don't the trainers do something? That doesn't sound like a good relationship to me..."_

_A woman with long, pink locks gazed at her child for a long moment, then began to chuckle. The little girl pouted, arms crossed. The Meganium that had been at her mother's side trudged over to her, nudging her in order to cheer her up with a chirp._

_"I'm being serious, Mama!," she whined, playfully shoving the grass-type away, to no avail._

_"Doesn't it make the pokemon sad? That they're hurting themselves, each other?"_

_The woman shook her head, venturing over to pat her Meganuim on the back. "Love, pokemon battle to grow. And in a way, grow closer bonds with each other. You also have to realize. Wild pokemon do the same thing. It's just pure instinct, sometimes."_

_Shina puffed her cheeks out defiantly, "But what about those who are weaker? What happens when other pokemon lose?"_

_"Don't worry, Shina," her mother informed her; "When pokemon battle, they only go so much as to weaken the other so much that they aren't able to even stand. Over time, they will just grow tired and end up falling in battle, resulting in instant victory. Pokemon League law states this. It cannot go any farther than just that. Come to think of it, I don't even think someone as low as Rocket would go to that length. There are people who realize pokemon are much too precious to lose and mean much more in value. Even if it is for selfish intentions." _

_The Meganium started to nip at the child's hair. She giggled, climbing onto his back. Her mother smiled fondly, "Do you see now, Shina, why being a trainer is important?" Shina wrapped her arms around the pokemon's long neck. "I guess so," she replied. She didn't quite fully understand yet. Suppose it would come in due time._

_"You'll know when you obtain your own pokemon, one day."_

No! This was all wrong! That's how it was supposed to be! Her pokemon was just supposed to faint! In that moment her body willed herself to breath, which came out as a choked sob. She was supposed to be better than this! She was going to become strong! She was going to be just like her mother, the Champion of the Johto and Kanto regions! She was going to develop close bonds with pokemon on her journey just as she had! How could she be so reckless like this? She knew better!

**"We must take down anyone who opposes our King's ideals. Even if it results in some deaths. This is all for the sake of pokemon.**

**We must liberate them from foolish trainers like you."**


End file.
